Abbeville County

Key demographics – Abbeville County, South Carolina

• Population

  • 2020 Census: ~24,300
  • 2023 estimate: ~24,200

• Age

  • Median age: ~44 years
  • Under 18: ~21%
  • 18–64: ~57%
  • 65 and over: ~22%

• Gender

  • Female: ~51.5%
  • Male: ~48.5%

• Race/ethnicity (Hispanic can be of any race)

  • White (non-Hispanic): ~67.6%
  • Black or African American (non-Hispanic): ~28.1%
  • Hispanic/Latino: ~2.3%
  • Two or more races: ~1.5%
  • Asian: ~0.3%
  • American Indian/Alaska Native: ~0.2%

• Households

  • Total households: ~9,800
  • Average household size: ~2.4
  • Family households: ~65%
  • Average family size: ~3.0

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, 2020 Decennial Census and 2019–2023 American Community Survey 5-year estimates (rounded).

Abbeville County, SC snapshot (estimates)

• Population/density: ≈24,000 residents across ≈490 sq mi; ~49 people per sq mi (rural).
• Estimated email users: ~18,500–19,000 (≈75–80% of residents; ≈85–90% of adults).
• By age (users):
  • 13–17: ~1.1k (≈70–80% of ~1.4k teens)
  • 18–34: ~4.3–4.5k (≈95–98% of ~4.6k)
  • 35–64: ~8.6–9.0k (≈90–94% of ~9.6k)
  • 65+: ~4.2–4.6k (≈70–80% of ~6.0k)
• Gender split among users: roughly even; ~51% female, ~49% male (mirrors county population; minimal gender gap in email adoption).
• Digital access trends:
  • ~85–90% of households have a computer; ~70–78% have a broadband subscription. Mobile-only internet likely 10–15% of households.
  • Fixed broadband availability is strongest around Abbeville, Due West, and main corridors (US‑72/SC‑28); some rural tracts still lack 100/20 Mbps options.
  • 4G LTE covers most populated areas; coverage can be spotty in wooded/low-lying zones; 5G mainly near population centers.
  • Public Wi‑Fi/PC access via libraries and schools helps bridge gaps.
• Trajectory: Gradual gains in fiber and subscription rates driven by state/federal broadband funding; older adults’ email adoption continues to rise.

Notes: Figures synthesized from recent ACS/FCC patterns and rural-SC benchmarks.

Abbeville County, SC: mobile usage snapshot and how it differs from statewide patterns

Context

• Small, rural county in the Upper Savannah region (towns include Abbeville, Due West, Calhoun Falls). Population roughly 24–25k, with an older and lower-income profile than the South Carolina average. Commuting and travel concentrate along US‑72/76 and SC‑28 toward Greenwood and Anderson.

User estimates

• Smartphone users: roughly 17–19 thousand residents. Method: apply typical rural smartphone adoption (around low-to-mid‑80% of adults) to the county’s adult population, plus high teen adoption. Because Abbeville skews older and more rural than the state overall, its total adoption rate is likely a few points lower than the statewide average.
• Mobile‑only internet: a noticeably higher share of households rely on smartphones or cellular hotspots as their primary home internet than the statewide average. This reflects patchier wired broadband outside town centers and lower household incomes. After the 2024 wind‑down of ACP subsidies, some budget‑constrained households have shifted more usage to mobile plans.
• Plan mix: a higher tilt to prepaid and value MVNO plans than the state average; family plans common among multi‑generational households.

Demographic breakdown (directional)

• Age: Seniors make up a larger slice of the population (roughly one‑fifth) than statewide. Smartphone ownership and app breadth among 65+ are lower, pulling down overall adoption. Younger adults and college students around Due West (Erskine College) are near‑saturated smartphone users and drive heavier data use during the academic year.
• Income: Median household income trails the state, which correlates with more prepaid usage, lower flagship‑device penetration, and greater mobile‑only reliance.
• Race/ethnicity: The county has a sizable Black population. As in many rural areas, historical gaps in wired broadband access mean mobile plays a comparatively larger role for day‑to‑day connectivity among some households.

Digital infrastructure

• Coverage and technology:
  • 4G LTE from the national carriers is the baseline, strongest along US‑72/76, SC‑28, and in/near Abbeville and Due West. Coverage thins in low‑density areas, near lakes (Russell/Secession), and forested terrain—yielding more dead zones and indoor‑coverage challenges than the SC average.
  • 5G is present but is predominantly low‑band for wide‑area coverage. Mid‑band 5G capacity (the speeds most users notice as an upgrade) is spottier than in metro SC markets like Greenville or Columbia. Millimeter‑wave 5G is effectively absent.
• Tower density and backhaul: Fewer macro sites per square mile than urban counties; many rural sites use lower‑band spectrum for reach. Fiber backhaul is concentrated along main corridors; some remote sites still rely on microwave, constraining capacity compared to urban South Carolina.
• Local fiber/cable footprint: The regional cooperative (WCTEL/WCFIBER) provides fiber in and around population centers and along certain corridors; availability drops quickly outside those zones. Cable service is largely town‑limited. Where neither fiber nor cable reach, residents depend on legacy DSL, fixed wireless, or cellular home internet (LTE/5G) offers.
• Public safety and resilience: AT&T’s FirstNet generally follows the main travel corridors. Weather and tree density make power and backhaul redundancy more critical than in urban SC; prolonged outages can more noticeably affect mobile service in outlying areas.

How Abbeville differs from the South Carolina average

• Adoption level: Slightly lower overall smartphone adoption driven by an older age profile and rural settlement pattern.
• Internet substitution: Higher reliance on mobile‑only internet for home use; greater sensitivity to plan pricing and data caps.
• Network experience: More variable signal quality and indoor coverage; fewer mid‑band 5G sectors per capita, so peak speeds and capacity lag metro counties.
• Device/plan mix: More prepaid/MVNO usage, slower flagship device turnover.
• Upgrade cadence: Slower rollout of new 5G spectrum and densification relative to the state’s urban corridors, so countywide improvements arrive later.

Notes on estimation and validation

• Figures above are model‑based estimates grounded in typical rural adoption patterns, the county’s size and demographics, and public infrastructure footprints. For project‑level planning, validate availability and performance with: FCC National Broadband Map (fixed and mobile layers), carrier coverage maps and crowd‑sourced performance tests, and local ISPs (e.g., WCTEL/WCFIBER) for current buildouts.

Below is a concise, best-available snapshot for Abbeville County, SC. Exact county-level social media metrics aren’t officially published, so figures are estimates derived from U.S. Census ACS demographics for Abbeville County and U.S.-level platform adoption from Pew Research Center and DataReportal, adjusted for rural-South patterns.

Headline user stats

• Share of adults using at least one social platform: approximately 65–75% (slightly below the U.S. average due to older/rural mix).
• Daily usage among social users: roughly 60–70% use at least one platform daily; Facebook users are most likely to check daily.
• Device mix: primarily mobile-first; video is the dominant format across platforms.

Age patterns (share using any social media, estimated)

• 18–29: 90%+; heaviest on TikTok, Instagram, Snapchat, YouTube.
• 30–49: ~80–90%; Facebook and YouTube are anchors; Instagram rising; TikTok moderate.
• 50–64: ~65–75%; Facebook and YouTube dominate; Pinterest moderate (especially women).
• 65+: ~45–55%; mostly Facebook and YouTube; lower adoption elsewhere.

Gender tendencies (directional)

• Women: more active on Facebook Groups, Marketplace, Pinterest; strong engagement with community, schools, faith-based pages.
• Men: heavier on YouTube; Facebook remains core; smaller slices on Reddit/X; LinkedIn concentrated among college-educated/white-collar.

Most-used platforms among adults (share of online adults in the county, estimated)

• YouTube: ~75–85%
• Facebook: ~60–70%
• Instagram: ~35–50%
• TikTok: ~25–40%
• Snapchat: ~20–35% (skews under 30)
• Pinterest: ~25–35% (skews female)
• X (Twitter): ~15–25%
• LinkedIn: ~15–25% (skews higher education/management)

Behavioral trends to expect locally

• Facebook is the community hub: groups for neighborhoods, churches, schools, yard sales; Marketplace is widely used for local buy/sell.
• Short-form video growth: strong consumption of Facebook Reels, TikTok, YouTube Shorts; cross-posting the same clip across platforms is common.
• Local info and trust: residents rely on Facebook Groups for timely news (weather, road closures, school sports, events); moderation and rumor control matter.
• Peak engagement: evenings and weekends; spikes around high school sports, festivals, civic updates, and severe weather.
• Messaging: Facebook Messenger and SMS dominate; WhatsApp use is niche except among some immigrant/Hispanic communities.
• Older adults: steady adoption of Facebook/YouTube; need scam warnings and clear calls-to-action; larger text/legible creative performs better.
• Commerce: small businesses lean on boosted Facebook posts and simple video; geotargeted ads and event-based promos outperform generic branding.
• Content that travels: local pride, outdoors, hunting/fishing, faith/community service, and youth sports get high shares; screenshots of posts carry info between platforms.

Sources and method

• U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey (ACS) for Abbeville County demographics (age/sex mix).
• Pew Research Center, Social Media Use in 2023/2024 (U.S. adult platform adoption and age splits).
• DataReportal, Digital 2024: USA (platform ad-reach benchmarks). Notes: Percentages above are local estimates derived by applying national adoption patterns to Abbeville’s demographic profile; actual figures can vary with local culture and broadband access. For precise targeting, validate with your own page insights, group analytics, and geotargeted ad reporting.